The Carlos Correa saga will stick with the Giants for years, but in the aftermath this week, they never had any concern about their ability to land another Scott Boras client. Before Correa's new deal with the Mets was even finalized, they did.
Boras goes where the the best deal is, and for outfielder Michael Conforto, that's San Francisco.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale first reported Friday morning that the Giants agreed to a two-year, $36 million contract with Conforto, who fills out their outfield. The deal includes an opt-out after the first season, making it similar to the one the Giants agreed to with Carlos Rodón -- another Boras client -- in March.
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ESPN's Buster Olney and The New York Post's Jon Heyman later confirmed the agreement between Conforto and the Giants.
The Giants' interest in Conforto goes back to last offseason, when he looked like a great fit but ended up not signing anywhere because he needed shoulder surgery. They kept in touch with his camp this week even as the Correa deal blew up and finally got a deal done.
Conforto injured the shoulder while working out in January and is still rehabbing, although Boras recently said that he's throwing up to 120 feet and has full extension with his swing.
San Francisco Giants
If healthy, Conforto represents the best available opportunity for the Giants to add upside to their lineup after failing to close the deal with Correa. The 29-year-old had a down year by his standards in 2021, posting an OPS+ of 100 with 14 homers, but he previously had an All-Star season and three 25-homer years on his resume.
Conforto has an OPS+ of 124 in the big leagues and a .356 career on-base percentage. He hit 33 home runs in 2019, giving him three straight seasons of at least 27 homers. After a solid 2021, Conforto hit .322 with nine homers in the shortened 2021 season but missed all of 2022.
The Giants had hoped to accomplish enough this offseason that they could move Mike Yastrzemski back to right field, but they weren't able to sign Aaron Judge -- who told the Giants he wanted to play center field -- or Cody Bellinger. Yastrzemski's versatility allowed them to chase other options and he now will play center, where he rates a bit above-average, with Conforto and Mitch Haniger in the corners.
RELATED: Source: Giants held private team meeting in Correa aftermath
At the very least, the Giants should come away from this offseason with a much-improved outfield defense, a necessity after a costly 2022. They plan to play Joc Pederson at DH against right-handed starters and LaMonte Wade Jr. will slide over to first base for the most part.
The agreement with Conforto is pending a physical.